De Blasio, local elected officials split over LICH deal

Mayor Bill de Blasio split from some of his liberal allies on Monday over whether SUNY's deal to sell Long Island College Hospital to the Fortis Property Group is a good one.

The mayor reacted with cautious optimism to news of a principled agreement between the state entity and the Brooklyn development company while other local elected officials said they were “distressed that SUNY has yet again ignored the needs of the community.”

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The difference of opinion demonstrates what a political headache the money-losing Cobble Hill hospital has become for the mayor whose candidacy was boosted, in part, by his support for the hospital. It also illustrates the challenges de Blasio faces of governing pragmatically after running a campaign built, in part, on idealism.

“While this agreement has not been finalized, the mayor is encouraged that the latest proposal includes not only a freestanding emergency room but also specialized medical services; urgent, primary and preventative care; a cancer center; an HIV clinic; and observation beds,” said Phil Walzak, the mayor's spokesman.

The proposed deal would see Fortis Property Group turn LICH into a mix of medical services and luxury condominiums.

The mayor panned a proposed deal between SUNY and Fortis back in December, saying he was unhappy with the lack of emergency care. This new deal with Fortis has N.Y.U. Langone Medical Center running a freestanding emergency department with up to 20 observational beds. There will be no in-patient beds, and the loss of a full-service hospital in Cobble Hill is a blow to many community advocates who rallied with the mayor during the summer.

They feel Fortis' plan does not satisfy the area's health care needs, and that sentiment was endorsed Monday by their local representatives. Fortis and N.Y.U. also do not plan to provide an independent needs assessment to study whether the community needed a full-service hospital.

"We are distressed that SUNY has yet again ignored the needs of the community,” said a joint statement from State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblywoman Joan Millman and City Councilmen Brad Lander, Steve Levin and Carlos Menchaca. “While this agreement includes some health care services, it falls far short of a full-service hospital. And it does not resume immediate ambulance service, nor require an independent community needs assessment.”

Other legislators including Assemblymen Joe Lentol and Walter Mosley have endorsed the Fortis proposal.

The mayor has said this outcome, though not ideal, is far better than what might have happened had he and others not intervened on behalf of the community.

“A year ago the doors at LICH were on the brink of being padlocked and the entire facility shut down forever,” Walzak said. “But as a result of the unified advocacy and activism of the community, closure was prevented, and now there is a proposal on the table that could provide a wide range of medical services at LICH for the tens of thousands of residents in the surrounding Brooklyn neighborhoods.”

Public Advocate Letitia James' office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.